Examining Student Identity and Agency in Relation to Climate Change
Examining Student Identity and Agency in Relation to Climate Change: A Case Study with 6th Grade Learners
How today’s learners come to understand their own capacities to act in relation to climate change may have crucial implications for our climate future. This session will present insights from an in depth case study of sixth grade students’ identity and agency development as they engaged with the topic of climate change in their middle school science classroom. Using data from interviews (students, parents, and teachers), focus groups, student work, and classroom observations, the presentation will synthesize the “story” of climate change from the sixth graders’ perspective. The presenter will highlight the students’ developing views of themselves and their capacities to act in relation to climate change and will discuss possible implications for climate change education.
Presenter: Emily Hestness, Ph.D. candidate in Science Education, University of Maryland, College Park
